An Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) is a nine-digit number issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to individuals who are required to have a U.S. taxpayer identification number but who do not have, and are not eligible to obtain, a Social Security Number (SSN). There are several ways to obtain an ITIN. Mail You […]
A “tax purpose” for an individual is the reason why they file a tax return or are listed on the tax return of someone else. It is not the same thing as a tax filing requirement, however, tax filing requirement is a tax purpose. People who have no tax filing requirement can and still should […]
Undocumented immigrants are often excluded from government benefits, but there are a few tax credits that they may be eligible for. This blog post will discuss undocumented immigrants and taxes, the different tax credits undocumented aliens may be eligible for, as well as the requirements for claiming them. What are tax credits? A tax credit […]
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has announced that it will reopen the Certifying Acceptance Agent (CAA) program in late 2023. The CAA program allows certain organizations to help taxpayers obtain Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs). ITINs are tax processing numbers issued to individuals who are not eligible for a Social Security number (SSN). The CAA […]
Being a professional tax preparer is a challenging role, but with the right tax preparation program, it can be much easier. In today’s digital age, numerous software solutions are available to simplify the process, but choosing the best one for your specific needs can be overwhelming. Let’s walk through the key considerations to help you […]
If you are considering starting a tax preparation business, there are a few different types of actual costs to consider. Each type of cost will require sacrifice and planning. The three main types of small business start-up costs to consider are: finances, time, and effort (mental and physical costs). To help measure the real financial […]
Start by knowing that the IRS or software vendor will never ask you for your personal information and security questions via email. Please take some time to read our online information security tips below. Always be suspicious of unexpected emails, even if it appears to come from a legitimate source. Triple check emails before ever […]
Please be on the alert for fraudulent email messages requesting sensitive personal and business tax information. These emails can appear to come from many different sources pretending to be the IRS, Federal Direct, State Departments of Revenue, Tax Software Companies, etc. One such recent IRS tax scam email has been identified as coming from a […]
No, an ITIN holder cannot claim credits for back year’s returns. The law changed in Dec. 2015 with HR2029. This means no Child Tax Credit or American Opportunity Credit (among others) for any year beyond a current and timely filed tax return. If you file late, as in after April 15th, you will NOT get […]
Be aware that the IRS annual e-file shutdown for rolling their systems over to the next year’s tax calculations is coming next week, November 30th. The IRS will not accept returns electronically from this date on until they turn back on for filing in mid January 2017. The IRS’ goal is to always accept 3 […]
Federal Direct will be hosting a webinar covering significant changes to the ITIN program that effect all applicants in the process. This webinar will provide 1 IRS continuing education credit in the Tax Law Updates category. The webinar is scheduled for Tuesday July 17th at 5:30pm Eastern. Webinar invites have been to all Federal Direct […]
This morning the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. The most debated issue was the individual coverage mandate element of the law which levies penalties to taxpayers who are required to purchase insurance coverage but fail to do so. Administration of the Affordable Care Act will be serviced by the IRS; […]
US citizens working and living abroad received an extension to file of 2 months. That deadline is just around the corner, June 15th. Be sure to inform any of your clients in this category of filers!
If you have a client who is attempting to get ITINs for dependents, he or she must be a parent or use a Power of Attorney form for immediate family (grandparents, brothers, sisters, etc). If your client is an aunt or uncle, the Power of Attorney will not work. In this instance, you will notarize […]
The IRS has released the final revisions to the 2011 tax year publication 17. This publication is probably the most comprehensive set of information covering individual tax return filing, and is also one of the forms that will be available to you while taking the upcoming RTRP examination. You can access a downloadable form of […]